Hollow,metal ball bat



Nov. 18, 1969 A. MEROLA 3,479,030

HOLLOW, METAL BALL BAT Filed Jan. 26, 1967 Tl EB. TEE-=7.

IN VENTOR. ANTHONY MEROLA A! rorney United States Patent O 3,479,030HOLLOW, METAL BALL BAT Anthony Merola, 957 Wellesley Road, Pittsburgh,Pa. 15206 Filed Jan. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 612,765 Int. Cl. A63b 59/06 US.Cl. 27372 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates toa ball bat comprising ahollow metal body portion formed by swaging atube of uniform diameter and thickness to a tube of varying diametersand thicknesses in a manner such that the body has a substantiallyuniform weight per unit of length, and rubberous plugs disposed insidethe body at each end thereof todeaden sound and to impart desired weightcharacteristics to the bat. The plug at the handle end is disposedwholly within the tube and a separate handle member inserted thereafter.The plug at the opposite end forms a cap over that end of the bat. Bothrubberous plugs and the handle member are preferably secured in placewith an epoxy resin, the resin being applied to the interior of the tubeand the plugs inserted by spinning to distribute the epoxy evenly. Bothplugs are preferably tapered to reduce the piston effect, i.e., preventthe epoxy from being pushed ahead of the plugs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relatesto ball bats and particularly to ball bats having hollow metal bodieswith closure means at each end thereof and to the method of making same.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART Prior art bats with hollow metal body portionshave heretofore been made from casting or from sheet metal parts weldedtogether, both methods being expensive and time consuming. Additionallysuch bats have unsightly seams and require considerable grinding or thelike to smooth the surface of the bat-to a satisfactory condition. Theweight distribution characteristics of these bats are alsounsatisfactory and the material often must be made so thin that the batdents easily when a ball is struck. A further problem with prior arthollow metal bats is that a disturbing sound emanates therefrom when aball is struck. Moreover prior art bats are weak at the handle portionwhich receives great bending stress when a ball is struck.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention eliminates the problemsheretofore encountered with hollow metal ball bats and provides animproved method for their manufacture. The body of the bat is formedfrom a hollow metal tube, of uniform starting thickness and diameter,which is 'swaged to one of several customary bat configurations whereinthe body tapers throughout most of its length. The resulting body has asubstantially uniform weight per unit length but varies in wallthickness and diameter according to the desired taper, the walls beingthickest at the handle portion which is the portion of least diameter.The process of swaging a starting tube of uniform thickness and diameterresults in a bat with improved weight distribution characteristics andat the same time effects a strengthening of the bat at the .handleportion. Following swaging there is inserted a rubberous plug into thehandle portion to aid in deadening sound. This plug is tapered slightlyat its inner end to prevent pushing the epoxy resin ahead of it. Afterthis plug is in place a handle member is inserted 'ice and secured inplace in like manner. A larger mushroom: shaped plug is inserted in theopposite end of the tube and is likewise tapered on its inner end andsecured by an epoxy resin. Preferably the plugs are inserted with ascrew machine or the like to spin the plugs at high speed and the plugsare dimensioned to fit snugly in the hollow of the bat. The plug at thelarger diameter end of the bat may be weighted to impart the desiredweight and balance characteristics to the bat as well as serving as ameans for deadening sound.

With the described construction there is provided a hollow metal batwhich has a smooth, seamless surface, deadens the sound of impact, hasexcellent weight and balance characteristics, is strengthened at thehandle where the greatest bending stresses occur, and which caneconomically be made according to the process of the invention.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved ball bat having ahollow metal body and the process of making same.

This and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art andmore fully understood by reference to the following description, whereinDESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a ball bataccording to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional side elevations of the bat of FIG.1, FIG. 3 being a continuation of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation partly in section of a rubberous plug forinsertion into the large diameter end of the bat;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of FIG. 4;

FIG. '6 is a side elevation, partly in section of a rubberous plug forinsertion into the handle end of a bat;

FIG. 7 is an end elevation of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are end elevations taken along the lines VIIIVIII,IX-IX and X--X respectively of FIG. 2, to illustrate the increasing wallthickness and decreasing diameter along various portions of the bat.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, theball bat 10 is comprised of a hollow metal tube or body 11 which may beconsidered as having three portions or zones A, B, C approximately equalin length. The body increases in diameter from the portion A to theportion C but decreases in wall thickness, i.e., wall thicknessincreases as the diameter decreases, so the body is thickest at thehandle portion A where the bending stresses from contact with a ball areordinarily the greatest. Portions A and C are of substantially constantdiameter while portion B tapers throughout its length, thus to form abody having one form of conventional ball bat configuration, but otherconventional ball bat configurations are possible.

The body 11 is preferably formed by the process of the invention whichcomprises providing a hollow metal tube of uniform thickness anddiameter and approximately equal in length to the desired length of thebat, the tube preferably being the same diameter as that desired in theportion C, then swaging the tube to form the portions A and B asdescribed. The swaging operation thus forms the contour of the bat whileat the same time strengthening the portions A and B by thickening thewalls thereof, particularly in the handle portion A and the weightthroughout the body is substantially uniform per unit length. Thus thebody 11 of the bat emerges from the swaging operation in finished form,and has a smooth, continuous, seamless surface. N0 welding, casting,grinding, riveting or other operations are necessary.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate the sections 11a, 11b and 110 and show thedecreasing diameter and increasing wall thickness along the length ofthe body 11 after the swaging operation.

The tubes preferred are aluminum or aluminum alloy tubes of suitablehardness and temper, one such being the aluminum alloy known as 6061T6available from the Aluminum Company of America, but others could beemployed. The thickness of the walls of the starting tube in thespecified alloy are preferably about .049" to .064 which is suitable forsoftball bats, for example, but other thicknesses could be employed.Preferably a baseball bat will have thicker walls. Standard bat lengthsare of course employed, usually ran ing from about 26" to about 33". Thethickness of the tube at the handle portion A after s'waging is abouttwice the starting thickness.

After the body 11 has been formed, a rubberous plug 12 is inserted inthe handle portion A, in spaced relation to the end of the body, andsecured in place by a suitable adhesive such as an epoxy resin. As bestseen in FIG. 6 the plug 12 has a slightly tapered inner end portion, thepurpose of which is to facilitate insertion of the plug and to preventthe plug from pushing the epoxy ahead of it, the epoxy having beenapplied to the inner wall of the portion A. Plug 12 aids in deadeningthe sound upon impact of the hollow body with a ball.

After the plug 12 is in place, additional epoxy is applied to the innerwall of portion A and the handle member 13 inserted therein. Handlemember 13 has the familiar knob 14 at its outer end and has acylindrical portion 15 extending therefrom, the end of which is areduced diam- 'eter portion 16 which fits snugly into the handle portionA in abutting relation to the previously inserted plug 12. The reduceddiameter portion 16 is preferably slightly tapered at its inner end tobetter distribute the epoxy over the confronting surfaces of the handlemember 16 and inner wall of portion C in the same manner as plug 12. Themember 13 may be of any suitable material, but is preferably wood. 7

Into the large diameter end portion C there is inserted amushroom-shaped rubberous plug 17 which has a snug fit in the endportion and is secured in place by epoxy in the manner aforedescribed.As seen in FIG. 4, the inner end of plug 17 is also slightly tapered aswith plug 12 for the same purpose. The shoulder 18 of plug 17 abuts theouter end of the portion C to maintain the position of the plug. Theouter cap portion of plug 18 is provided with a recess 19 which enablesthe plug to be engaged by a screw machine or the like and rapidly rotateas the plug is inserted into the portion C. Plug 18 may be weighted orits weight chosen so as to impart the desired balance and weightcharacteristics to the assembled bat. Plug 18 serves also as a sounddeadening means and preferably is made of rubber, but other sounddeadening materials could be used.

By the present invention there is thus provided a novel ball bat havinga hollow metal body and a novel and economic process for making same.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modification inthe construction and arrangement of parts and in the proceduresdescribed are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A ball bat comprising,

(a) an elongated hollow metal body with a free end portion of onediameter tapering to a handle portion of reduced diameter, the reduceddiameter portion having a wall thickness greater than the wall thicknessof the free end portion, the body being of scamless construction andhaving a substantially uniform weight per unit of length, the body beingopen at one end thereof, and

(b) sound-deadening means disposed in the open end.

2. The ball bat as defined in claim 1 wherein the metal is aluminum.

3. The ball bat as defined in claim 1 wherein the sounddeadening meanscomprises a rubberous plug.

4. The ball bat as defined in claim 1 wherein both ends of the body areopen and wherein sound-deadening means as disposed in both the free endportion and the handle portion.

5. The ball bat as defined in claim 4 wherein the sounddeadening meanscomprises rubberous plugs.

6. The ball bat as defined in claim 5 wherein the rubberous plug at thehandle portion end of the body is disposed in spaced relation to theterminal end of the handle portion, and further comprising a handlemember having a knobbed end portion, and a generally cylindrical portionetxending therefrom and into the space between the terminal end and thelast named rubberous plug.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 364,680 6/1887 Sherwood 273-671,499,128 6/1924 Shroyer 273-72 1,611,858 12/1926 Middlekauff 273-72ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner T. BROWN, Assistant Examiner

